Where does “filen” come from?
filen (Middle English) comes from Old English fȳlan, from Proto-Germanic *fūlijan, from Proto-Germanic fūlaz, from Proto-Indo-European pū- — rotten, putrid; be rotten; putrid; to rot, swell,...
filen (Middle English): to defile
Ancestry of “filen”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old English | fȳlan | to defile, make foul |
| 2 | Proto-Germanic | *fūlijan | — |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | fūlaz | foul, dirty; rotten |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | pū- | rotten, putrid; be rotten; putrid; to rot, swell,... |